I can't tell you a lot about the National Museum of American History because we only made it through two of the exhibits—America on the Move (i.e. trains) and Julia Child's Kitchen. M-'s boys, ages 2 and 4, didn't have interest in much else. In fact, we wouldn't have made it to the kitchen at all if they hadn't fallen asleep. But I'm glad we did. It's a tiny kitchen with remarkably low-tech gadgets and an enviable knife collection mounted conveniently on the wall. They have video running from a collection of lessons with master chefs. Child is a little like Annabella Sciorra, just a little too intense for anyone but Tony Soprano to stand next to.
Most of their other exhibits sound even more fascinating that what we saw. According to their website, they have 37, including Whatever Happened to Polio?, Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education, On Stage and Backstage: Women in Jazz, Disneyland: The First 50 Years and Lighting a Revolution—Electricity Hall, to name just a few. The array is vast, from transportation to science to technology, and a lot of our nation's social history, including our gaffes.
The museum isn't easy to navigate, and it's definitely not for kids. They claim to have interactive exhibits, but nothing for children under 5, and what I did see didn't look very engaging. But for grown-ups or teens with a decent attention span, it seems worthwhile to make a few visits and tackle a few exhibits at a time. Where better than DC to learn about our presidents (and their wives' dresses) and our military? You'll have to walk a bit from the red line, but you pass Starbucks and Press Liquor Store (good for those of us from MD), and it sounds like the blue and orange lines might get you a little closer to the Mall.
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